1. The Premier League table is a jumbled mess after a huge weekend
In the span of about 30 hours, Premier League leaders Arsenal visited fourth-place Sunderland, second-place Manchester City hosted third-place (at the start of the weekend) Liverpool in Pep Guardiola’s 1,000th game and Manchester United clashed with Tottenham. Arsenal could have applied even more pressure with a win before City’s showdown with the defending champions. A victory by United or Spurs would have put them in fourth place ahead of the international break. Both games were dramatic draws.
The end result was Arsenal’s advantage decreasing to four points and a mere five points separating Chelsea in third from Everton in 13th. Arsenal and City are clearly the best two teams in the league. After that, there is very little between the next 10-12 teams. Sunderland have probably been the most consistent of all of them, which really tells you everything you need to know. The season is almost a third of the way through, and it’s still hard to know what to make of at least half the league.
2. Mauricio Pochettino wasn’t done with the surprises
Just when it felt like Mauricio Pochettino was beginning to narrow his player pool, the squad for the upcoming international break was released Thursday. Included in the squad were Gio Reyna and Joe Scally, whom Pochettino seemed to have little use for. Left off were Weston McKennie and Matt Turner, both of whom are presumably healthy. The World Cup is close enough that every exclusion and inclusion should mean something. Only Pochettino knows if they actually do.
Turner’s omission is particularly noteworthy because his season is already over. If anyone could use a national team camp to stay sharp and maybe get some minutes, it is him. Pochettino said he let McKennie stay in Italy to work with his new club coach, which is reasonable. At the same time, nobody else is looking out for the best interest of the U.S. That is the job of U.S. Soccer and Pochettino. Not bringing McKennie reinforces the same message that’s been sent over and over again: None of these games really matter. That is not what fans want to hear, but it’s the approach the federation is taking.
3. Those were absolutely massive wins for Cincinnati and Miami
FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami have been the best two teams in Major League Soccer since Lionel Messi’s arrival. Until Saturday, they had won the same number of Supporters Shields as playoff series in that time. Miami had never advanced in the postseason, even in the pre-Messi days. Both of them were faced with the possibility of elimination in Game 3. Both survived, which means one of them will be playing in the Eastern Conference final.
The favorites in both conferences belong to three distinct groups. San Diego and Vancouver are the newcomers learning how to deal with expectations. LAFC and the Philadelphia Union have recent playoff success to point to. Cincinnati and Inter Miami are the ones who have underachieved and need to break through. Getting upset in the first round after winning Game 1 for a second straight year would have been devastating. Nobody is under more pressure than these two clubs, and they found a way to stay alive.
4. The NWSL playoffs are delivering again
The quarterfinals of the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs had just one game decided in normal time: Orlando’s 2-0 victory over the Seattle Reign on Friday. Each of the other three games – all of which featured a top-three seed – required extra time. One went to a penalty shootout. As tight as the games were, three of the top four seeds got through to the semifinals. There was only one upset, but it was a notable one.
The Kansas City Current lost three games all season and finished 21 points ahead of the second-place Washington Spirit. They fell behind in the second half, equalized in stoppage time and lost in extra time. Gotham’s Katie Stengel came on as a substitute, got beat on the Current’s goal and then scored the winner. The last team to make the playoffs may very well be the most dangerous one left.
5. This season’s Champions League is nowhere near as interesting
The Champions League’s debut of the league phase in 2024-25 saw Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Real Madrid and PSG finish between 11th and 22nd. Celtic and Juventus collected the same number of points. Atalanta and Lille performed better than the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 champions. Dinamo Zagreb didn’t even make the playoff round and posted the same record as Manchester City.
Halfway through this season’s league phase, half of the top 12 spots belong to Premier League clubs. Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, PSG and Real Madrid occupy five of the other six spots. Galatasaray and Qarabağ are the only teams outside the top five leagues with multiple victories. There were seven such teams that had at least three last season. Atlético Madrid and Napoli are the only teams that could be considered contenders having any kind of difficulty. It’s nowhere near as fun when the top clubs aren’t in any danger.